Toy train article in the St. Petersburg Times

[Anonymous]

Qutoed from the St. Petersburg (FL) Times:


FLORAL CITY - For Nelson G. Williams, 2006 is going to be a landmark year. It is the centennial of the Lionel standard gauge toy electric train, the 60th anniversary of A.C. Gilbert's two-rail S-gauge, and the 40th year of both the Toy Train Operating Society and the Southern Division of the Train Collector's Association.

But most importantly, Feb. 16, 2006, will be Williams' 80th birthday.

Born in Detroit in 1926, Williams and his brother received their first train set from their dad in 1937. Williams recalled that their father ran that train just once.

"He never touched it again," Williams said. "But he loved it."

A traveling salesman, Williams' father would call home and "ask us to blow the whistle over the phone."

So it was that, at age 11, Williams' love affair with toy trains took root. But it wasn't until 1960, as a professor at Ball State University. His brothers convinced their father to give all the old Lionel trains to him and the proceeded find his first Ives and American Flyer passenger sets for him.

Over the years, that love grew, matured and even led him to marry a woman who loved trains almost as much as he does.

Alice collected miniature trains. Plastic, wood, metal, glass - if it depicted a tiny train, Alice added it to her collection. Alice died a few years ago, but her tiny trains are Williams' tiny treasures. They are found in display boxes on the walls, sitting near her computer, and throughout the house.

His alarm clock is a red plastic train which sounds much like the old steam locomotives whistling and chugging along the tracks of his memory. Friends gift him with oddities, such as the locomotive carved out of coal, a stuffed Winnie the Pooh dressed as an engineer and other equally creative knick-knacks.

But his favorite gifts are the awards he has received from the Southern Division of the Train Collectors Association. Williams has been a member of the group since 1974.

In 2003 he received the highest award conferred by the Southern Division of TCA. He was named a "Tinplate Tycoon" ". . . in recognition of his unselfish devotion and inspired efforts in promoting the collection and preservation of TIN PLATE TRAINS . . . ."

More recently, Williams received the "Best of the Year 2005 Display Award, Senior Division" during the fourth quarter meet held in Maitland near Orlando. He also received a blue ribbon for his display at the meet. Several other awards and medals hang throughout his home.

Spend an hour with Williams and you'll get a lifetime of education in the history of toy trains. He has written for several articles over the years, many for magazines oriented to toy train collecting.

On Saturday, the Webber Center at the Ocala campus of Central Florida Community College will open a display called Trains at the Holidays. Williams has been working since May preparing for the meet and this event. He ended up with 11 boxes of cars, tracks and other gear.

At least 50 pieces of his rolling stock will be on display, including a watermelon car complete with watermelons, a McCoy passenger train with eight cars, McCoy tinplate and plastic cars which were made exclusively for the TCA national conventions over more than 20 years, and several other pieces. This display runs through Dec. 31 and is a great place to take the kids and grandkids.

"Kids love it," said Williams who has displayed at Webber Center before. "(But) it seems to have skipped a generation," he added.

"They've gone from slotcars to electronics. Now they run their trains on a screen."

If you go: Opening day festivities are noon to 3 p.m. Saturday. Other days the display will be open 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. It will be closed on Dec. 25. The campus is at 3001 SW College Road (State Road 200), Ocala.

[Anonymous]

That's a great article! Thanks for sharing it! It's great to see that the hobby is getting exposure like this to the general public through an intelligent article in a newspaper.

[otftch]

Great article. Just thought I'd let you know there will also be trains from the OCALA MODEL RAILROADERS and the OCALA THREE RAILERS also at the Weber Center for the Trains At The Holidays exhibit
Ed

[otftch]

I talked to Nelson today and told him I saw your thread about the article.I think it made his day.Thanks Allen for your post.
Ed

[Jumijo]

I did a google search under the news section yesterday for Lionel trains and literally hit upon dozens of articles. This is the time of year for Lionel to be in the news.

Jim

[FJ and G]

Quote: "Over the years, that love grew, matured and even led him to marry a woman who loved trains almost as much as he does."

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Gee, some guys have all the luck.

[Blueberryhill RR]

Got a copy.